C.A.T: Walk Among Us

Published

Somewhere between the corporate fuck glam of Kiss and the shock rock of Alice Cooper lies Misfits. A gritty combo of monster makeup and hardcore punk, Misfits brought Horror Punk from the depths of hell and unleashed it upon this mortal coil. Led by Glenn Danzig, a stocky figure so imposing he was once considered by Twentieth Century Fox to play Wolverine, despite no acting experience, Misfits were rock mutants in a league of the own. Beginning their rampage in 1977, 1982’s Walk Among Us was the band’s first full-length release. Stitched together from previous recordings Walk Among Us is a punchy 25 minutes of monster mayhem.

Songs tell tales of Martians, vampires, and Astro-zombies, all while embodying a monster mash party vibe, fueled by the sheer attitude of 60s garage rock. “Woah-Ohs!” and “Yeah! Yeah! Yeahs!” boom behind the brooding croon of Glenn Danzig. Arthur Googy pounds away on drums as brothers, guitarist Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein and bassist Jerry Only (originator of the Devil Lock haircut) forge Satan’s favorite soundtrack. It’s hard to think of another band that has so encapsulated horror movies into their music. There’s no political confrontation here, just freaky fun and high voltage power.

Walk Among Us feels surprisingly upbeat considering its grisly wrappings. It just goes to show that you can embody a love for horror without guttural howls about burning through witches. You don’t have to be on 24/7 suicide watch to write horror songs. From its Sci-Fi inspired album cover to it’s kitschy lyrics, Walk Among Us is spooky good fun.